This is War
by Riley Alendar
Summary: This is the story of Owen Hunt and his life before working at Seattle Grace Hospital, dating back to his fourth tour in Iraq, after the engagement to Beth Whitman. Learn how it affects his friendship with Teddy Altman as feelings develop and things change. Please R/R!
1. Chapter 1

"I'll be home soon," I told her. I kissed Beth's hand, right above the new engagement ring on her left ring finger. It was my way to assure her I would come back. Beth worried about me a lot and leaving her alone in the airport wasn't easy for either of us. My two week leave wasn't nearly long enough, but I needed to get back to Iraq where I belonged.

I threw my luggage over my shoulder and walked towards the gate. This plane would fly out of Seattle, connecting to New York City, where I would meet up with the rest of my platoon, flying the remaining miles on a private plane to Iraq. It was a long flight alone, from Seattle to New York, but the people on the other end were worth it.

Just as I sat down at the gate, my phone vibrated in my pocket.

"Major Owen Hunt," I answered, preparing myself for anything possible. Usually when I received a call on my Army phone, it wasn't anything of good news. I once was told my best buddy was killed in combat while I was away in Las Vegas for three days. That was a miserable conversation and only caused me to get even more drunk at the casino. The caller on the other end, though, was happy.

"Teddy," I exhaled in relief, a smile sliding across my face. I had spent every waking moment with her, so being away for two weeks was a bit of a hardship. It was good to hear the voice of my best friend. "I'm about to board, you?" Teddy was living… elsewhere. I wasn't exactly sure where that was, simply because it's nothing she ever cared to express. She was living a rough life, which I understood, and she was under no obligation to tell me where she was at all times, regardless of how concerned I may be.

After a few more words, I hung up the phone and boarded the plane. Benefits to being in the Army: first-class seating on planes. It was roomy and the chairs were warm and comfortable. I settled in quickly, waiting patiently as the rest of the plane did so. I closed my eyes during take-off, doing my best to fall asleep quickly. I was in no mood to strike up a conversation to the person next to me, nor did I feel like spending hours staring aimlessly at the chair in front of me. Sleeping was my favorite option, and I drifted off in no time.

I awoke just as the descent into New York City began. The flight had been over five hours long, but I had been exhausted enough to sleep through the entire thing. The connecting flight would begin boarding in less than two hours, but the flight itself was around 14 hours or so. It didn't bother me, though, because I would be with my people. Friends, co-workers, companions… whatever you want to call them. They were my people. Sure enough, as I exited through the doors of the plane, down the run-way and through the gate, Teddy was there already waiting for me. I dropped my bags as she ran into my arms, and I pulled her close, inhaling her familiar scent. "Hi," I whispered into her ear before she pulled away from me. She responded with a hello and a smile, then after picking up my bag once more, we travelled through the airport to our next gate, talking about our horrible two weeks spent away from each other. Teddy knew I was dating Beth, but she wasn't aware that I had proposed, nor would she any time soon. It wasn't something I was likely to tell her in the relatively near future. There was no reason to.

The best feeling I got was walking up to our next gate with the entire squad waiting for us. We were a team of six: Teddy, myself, Albert, Drake, John, and Tom. Initially, my platoon had twenty, but we lost 14 soldiers over the past three tours. We occasionally had others join our team, but we were content with who we had. We all clicked together like a little unit. Seeing their faces created a grin to stretch across the length of my face. I shook hands with each of them, reconnecting immediately. They truly were the greatest group I could have ever asked for as Major. They all listened well, and they were all ridiculously talented surgeons. That was our job in the army — saving lives, not ending them. When people see me, they immediately assume I'm on the front line. I am, but not in the way as the other soldiers are. I don't open fire, or fire at all, for that matter. My job is to heal the wounded and save the dying. It was the best job I could have ever asked for. It was never easy, but it was worth it.

I graduated from Northwestern, then from Harvard with my M.D. It seemed like the best option for me at the time. Shortly after the tragic events of 9/11, I enlisted in the Army as a trauma surgeon. My parents were proud of me, proud of the son they had raised and sent off to war. After three tours in Iraq, I continued to renew my contract with the Army. My work was needed, and my platoon needed me. Being in charge of a group also meant that you were responsible for them. If any of the men (or Teddy) that were left were harmed in any way, I would feel personally responsible. We were a family, and I was the father, and it's the father's responsibility to watch after his children. At least, that's what my father had taught me growing up. He had done a pretty damn good job of protecting me, so I proudly implemented his ways with my platoon.

We boarded the plane shortly after our arrival at the gate, waiting patiently on the ground before taxing down the runway. It was a small plane with the capacity of about 20 or so, including the pilot. We would touch-down in about 14 hours, so I settled in for the long flight next to Teddy. The plane was unusually quiet, but I understood that everyone was getting in a completely different mindset now. We were living civilization to head into something that was far from ordinary. Going to Iraq was just as frightening the fourth time as it was the first. We never knew what to expect. Once up in the air, though, the usual chatter broke out among the men. Everyone seemed relatively happy and had thoroughly enjoyed their time off. It was comforting to hear. After all, we were headed into a war zone, and happiness was the only thing that could keep us alive.


	2. Chapter 2

It was several hours into the plane ride before Beth was brought up. The platoon knew she was my girl, simply because I spent several hours of free time writing letters to her at camp. When our work was quiet, it was really quiet.

"So, did ya' do it, Hunt? Did ya ask her?" Drake asked me. I was terrified internally. Drake was the only guy who knew I was even considering asking Beth to marry me. I wasn't intentionally trying to keep it from the other guys - just Teddy. And Drake didn't know any better, so I didn't blame him for asking. Refusing to even glance over at her, I replied, "Yeah. I did, actually." There was a huge uproar and the men went wild. I received several pats on the back and several congratulations. When I heard nothing from the seat next to me, I finally looked over at her. She put a fake smile on her face and forced out a "congratulations". We travelled the rest of the way in complete silence.

We landed in Iraq the following morning, met on the runway by our Commanding General. He reported that things were relatively quiet, and we were safe to camp out a mile from the hanger we landed at. We were in what seemed like the middle of the desert, and it was beyond hot. Within minutes, I could already feel the sweat clinging to my t-shirt under the uniform. It was just one of those things you learned to get used to.

There was a vehicle waiting and ready to drive us a mile out, so we loaded and were on our way in no time. It was amazing to me how quickly the atmosphere changed among the group. Everyone was alert and focused, regardless of the fact the General had announced all was quiet. In the Army, you never let your guard down. Nothing was ever quiet. Ever.

We arrived at camp in less than two minutes. We could have easily walked, but it was nice to not have to. There were two tents set up, one for work and one for sleep. The sun was unbearable so any kind of protection was highly welcomed. We were alone here which was fairly unusual. The majority of the time we were housed with another platoon and sometimes several groups at once.

"Get unpacked and meet me in the tent in 15 minutes," I told them. They responded with the typical, "Yes, sir," which was strange to hear after being away for two weeks. I knew no one had to unpack. All we ever did was throw our bags under our beds. There was no where to put our stuff if we even wanted to unpack it. Regardless, it gave everyone the chance to splash water on their face before getting to work. Not that we had much to do, but it was important to at least review things before going back into the field.

After we had spent several hours reviewing the basics and then some, it was starting to cool off a bit. We all knew what that meant - soccer. Teddy, Albert and myself against Drake, John, and Tom. The teams have remained the same since our very first match, but the teams had just been much bigger back then.

As though it was already known, having been completely unspoken, John brought out the soccer ball immediately after working. Smiles broke out on everyone's faces and Teddy even broke the silence between us by jumping on my back the way she did before, during, and after every game. We were a team.

"You babies ready to lose?" I taunted Tom. The best part was none of us knew the first thing about soccer. We made up our own rules, which were simple enough to follow. Get the ball past a certain point or into a make-shift goal, and otherwise, there are no rules. All foul play was acceptable - encouraged, even. It kept things interesting. Naturally, I was the referee and called things how I saw fair - usually in favor of my team. Or, if it was a call concerning Teddy, we would "give it to the chick". Funny enough, soccer was about the only time we all ever talked about the fact she was a woman. She was tougher and more skilled than all of us put together, so we never questioned the fact she was a girl.

The game began as it usually did, creating petty arguments and severe name calling. We were interrupted shortly after, though, by the arrival of a helicopter transporting five severely injured soldiers. "Game over," Albert sighed as we ran towards the helicopter. It was always too fun to last.

"What do we got?" I yelled at the doctors on hand. They yelled back several medical terms, reporting obvious signs of low oxygen levels and BP. Everything in Iraq was just a guess. It was nothing remotely close to what you learned in med school. You didn't have seven different sized scalpels or every size oxygen mask to accommodate each individual patient. You ran out of supplies quickly and had to take desperate measures to find substitutes for those missing supplies. There was nothing easy about being a trauma surgeon in the Army. Everything was difficult. Even when it wasn't supposed to be.

Later that night, after treating the patients that had been brought to us, I made my way into bed after a quick dinner. Before tucking myself in, though, I made a phone call to my mom. She was my biggest supporter and best friend. It was important for me to let her know I was alive and safe. Our conversations were always short, but it was comforting to hear her voice, regardless.

The conversation that followed the phone call, though, was something I was not prepared for.


	3. Chapter 3

"Owen," Teddy said. I looked up to see her climbing in to the bed next to mine.  
"Hey, Teddy," I greeted her. Something was wrong, and something was bothering her. I could tell. "What's up?" I was very casual about the situation just in case it was something I didn't want to discuss, though that was rarely the case.  
"Owen," she said again. She was laying in back, fingers laced behind her head, staring at the roof of the tent. "Can you promise me something?" I didn't think twice before responding. "Anything." Teddy paused for a while, continuing to stare upward. I knew not to prompt her further, unless I wanted to piss her off. "Promise me... Promise me you won't forget about me after you marry Beth." Not what I was expecting. Truthfully, I wasn't sure what to expect. Just not that. I could hear the acid in her tone as she mentioned Beth's name, though I did my best to ignore it. "I - what? Of course, Teddy. Don't be ridiculous." Damn it. Within the quick exchange between us, I remembered why I never wanted to tell her I was getting married in the first place.

**AN:** _I know this is short... This is me telling you I'm still here! I'm sorry life got in the way. Expect a lengthy post tomorrow. Please let me know if there are any readers still here!_


End file.
